Month: September 2013

Beneath a magnificent, box-office skyline, the weekend profitably produced “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” big to be contained. In a race that featured actual racing cars, the animated film found a sunny spot at the top of the domestic box office, blowing away the competition in the most colorful way with $35 million. “Prisoners,” who dramatically held the #1 box-office spot hostage last weekend, found a thrilling but safe home at #2 with $11.3 million. Director Ron Howard’s fast-paced film had its audience making a mad “Rush” to the local multiplex, coming in third at the finish line with $10.3 million. Romance and comedy were patiently waiting in the “Baggage Claim” area, this week known as the #4 spot, with $9.3 million. Writer-director-actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt introduced “Don Jon” to happily-ever-after possibilities from the romantic #5 place with $9.0 million.
Pornography, prison and peril mixed with a chase and a race (and a touch of comedy) but couldn’t compete with family-friendly entertainment, as our favorite “foodaholics” found success quite satisfying.
From seaside days to starry nights, may your appetite for entertainment be satisfied at a movie theater near you…

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Under the most romantic of stars, the weekend forecast appears to be “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” big for little ones alone (fortunately, big kids possess an appetite for lively entertainment as well as the necessary cash). Will our old animated friends be taking any hungry “Prisoners?” The colorful cuties are certainly family-friendly, but can they compete with “The Family” headed by Robert De Niro? Are the freaky contents contained within the “Insidious Chapter 2” sinister for our wholesome movie families? That should be no problem for the quartet shouting “We’re the Millers,” who are about as unwholesome as they get. With moves of his own, “Don Jon” should have no trouble winning “The Battle of the Year,” assuming romantics outnumber break dancers. “Instructions Not Included” or needed for true movie experts, who know entertainment comes in all imagined forms for folks of all kinds.
Sequels are currently soaring beneath our cloudy but entertaining heavens, capturing movie’s finest “Prisoners” while providing chapters of thrills, chills and comedic, romantic ills for those who “Rush” to their local multiplex.
Where will our latest stories take us? Only everywhere our imaginations can travel, with a multitude of stars leading the way…
From seaside days to starry nights, may the movie chapter you peruse illuminate clear, family-friendly skies…

Wondering what the movie forecasters are predicting for this weekend? Are experts expecting overcast, blockbuster-free days or cloudy, cinema-filled times ahead? For kids and kids-at-heart with an appetite for entertainment, the cinematic skies appear to be “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” big for the children’s menu (or a child-size screen). For those with love on their minds, “Don Jon” plans on enticing his leading lady during a romantic sunset, hoping the sun won’t set too soon on his time in the box-office limelight. “Riddick,” not the most romantic of guys, faces another Pitch Black night, looking for even more stars under his somber skies. The competition is hoping the “Insidious Chapter 2” terrifying for our animated friends will eventually wear thin as “The Family” and their anything-but-family-friendly ways are doggedly attempting to steal the show (as only career criminals can do). The “Battle of the Year” promises something for everyone with moviegoers happy “Prisoners” of all things entertainment!
“Instructions Not Included,” or needed, for a trip just beyond the horizon, where a successfully sunny box office overshadows cloudy skies, revealing our brightest stars…

Heroic Hugh Jackman held “Prisoners,” a.k.a. action-seeking moviegoers, captive this weekend, coming in first at the domestic box office with $21.4 million. Thrill seekers were still on the edge of their seats, enthralled by the contents contained within the “Insidious Chapter 2” scary for the timid while taking the terrifying tale to the #2 spot with $14.5 million. “The Family” of all families found a safe haven at the #3 spot with $7 million. “Instructions Not Included” but certainly welcomed by the Spanish comedy looking for long-term box office success but settling for the #4 spot with $5.7 million. Dancers endured the “Battle of the Year,” impressing a select group while winning the #5 spot with $5 million.
Kidnappers, crime busters and comedy (in two languages) had their cinematic say this weekend as family values, Hollywood style, found a profitable home. Battles were won as break dancers found a stage; sinister plots prevailed while prisoners abounded, all free to view the movie of their choosing. What choice did you make?
From seaside days to starry nights, the week ahead comes with THE most interesting choices, promising to hold us entertainingly captivated…

Following a week of horror and a horrifying-in-their-own-way family, hero Hugh Jackman has arrived, determined to take no “Prisoners” in his search for justice and a top box office spot. Are moviegoers’ eyes still glued to the “Insidious Chapter 2” possessed to put down? Will “The Family” featuring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, not to mention a stray Miller or two prevail? “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” spent decades serving civil sorts. Are civil rights sagas a thing of the (movie) past? When will the light of day overshadow “Riddick’s” Pitch Black night?
Perhaps the movie aficionados among us looking for an entertaining change will be shouting “Thanks for Sharing” the gory details of your addictions. Proving there’s something for everyone in the land of big-screen make believe, they may be bellowing “Enough Said” about 12-step programs, we prefer romantic comedies of the bittersweet (albeit limited release) kind. Furthermore, a trip to “Parkland” to cure what ails us may be in order, as the JFK assassination finds its stage and tells another story 50 years later.
Whatever your preference this weekend, be it killings, kidnapping or comedy, assassination or annihilation, heroes or horrors, your local multiplex is THE place to cure your post-summer entertainment blues.
From seaside days to starry nights, may your week come with more humor than horror, with greater cures than curses…

Last weekend, thrill-seeking moviegoers were on the edge of their seats, “reading” from the “Insidious Chapter 2” scary to view alone. “The Family” laying low in the Witness Protection Program may not have gotten much love from the critics, yet still received a cushy spot at the box office. “Riddick” was running amok, fighting crime in the Pitch Black while holding court within a darkened movie theater. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” was fighting injustice of his own, both at the White House and his own house. “We’re the Millers” were busy becoming even bigger millionaires. But “Enough Said” about last week’s news, what wonders await us this weekend at the movies?
For those feeling a bit under the (cinematic) weather, a trip to “Parkland,” along with a voyage back in time, may be in order. This weekend also welcomes new friends while witnessing fond farewells (including a performance by the late, great James Gandolfini), kidnappings, 12-step programs and Hollywood hostages. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are looking for a captive audience to call their own, hoping to capture moving-loving “Prisoners” (at least for the length of their edge-of-your-seat story). Will they succeed?
As the scent of everything pumpkin (pie, pasta, purees, etc.) mixes with the aroma of buttered popcorn, “Thanks for Sharing” a little movie time with me. May whatever tale you choose hold you entertainingly spellbound …

It was a menacing, made-for-the-movies weekend, as possessed moviegoers made an “Insidious Chapter 2” terrifying for the tame the top story at the domestic box office with $41.05 million. Scary in a criminal, non-possessed way was “The Family,” headed by Robert De Niro, who debuted at the #2 spot with $14.5 legally-obtained million. Crime fighting “Riddick” secured the #3 premises with $7 million safely waiting there. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” took a well-mannered step down to the #4 spot with $5.6 million. Speaking of families with criminal ties, the foursome proudly chanting “We’re the Millers” continued their million-dollar streak, coming in at #5 with $5.4 million.
This weekend, horror haunted crime stoppers in a huge way while overcoming comedy and the civic-minded. Family values were no match for sinister standards as the next chapter in our movie story brought thrills, chills and loads of funny, familial ills. Beneath a Pitch Black sky, the stars were shining bravely and brightly.
From seaside days to starry nights, each chapter appearing on the big screen (subtitles not included) promises legally-approved, frightening fun for the whole family…